DPP lawmaker is orchid no longer

Two-term DPP lawmaker Chou Ya-shu (周雅淑) has remained tight-lipped over her recent engagement to a police sergeant whose former wife earlier this year accused him of domestic violence.

Chou, 36, called a news conference in March to deny any romantic ties with the tall, handsome sergeant, Lin Chih-nan, (林志男) whose wife in January asked police for a restraining order to keep her allegedly violent husband at a distance.

"I had nothing to do with Lin's family crisis," the female legislator said then in tears. "Lin and I are good friends. That's all. This malicious lie has done great harm to my family and me. I am afraid no one will ever marry me."

News reports the day before the news conference said Chou had been dating Lin and that the extra-martial affair caused the police officer to divorce his wife. In addition, they alleged the lawmaker pressured Lin's supervisors to give her boyfriend promotions.

"Despite our decade-old friendship, I never did such a thing," Chou said, adding that she was considering legal action against what she called "irresponsible" media.

This denial is believed to account for her silence over the engagement, about which Lin has openly admitted.

"We have got engaged after all," he said during a TV interview last week.

Fellow DPP lawmakers said they were long aware of the two's romance but agreed to keep quiet in line with Chou's wish. Likewise, her aides had to fake surprise saying, "You guys know something we don't know at all."

Despite her comparative youth, Chou has been in politics for more than a decade. With a bachelor's degree in law from National Taiwan University, she won a seat on the Taipei County Council in 1990 at the age of 24.

Many attributed her early victory to the help of former independent legislator Liao Hsueh-kuang (廖學廣), who exerted formidable influence in the Hsichih area, Chou's constituency.

Seeking to run for Hsichih township chief, Liao groomed Chou to succeed in his seat on the council. The two went to the same university, albeit years apart.

As Chou showed no interest in politics at college, her election prompted a former classmate to call her, saying, "Someone with the same name as you was elected a county councilor." Chou replied, "I am actually the Chou Ya-shu you are speaking of."

Decisive and intelligent, she quickly asserted herself in the political realm and won a second term on the council four year later.

In 1996, aged 30, she won a by-election for Hsichih township chief, after Liao entered the legislature. Under her leadership, the town hall introduced a community bus service.

Though young, Chou showed no trepidation in standing up to a local tycoon Tseng Ping-huang (曾炳煌) whose cable company monopolized the Hsichih area. She successfully broke the monopoly by introducing another cable TV provider, which offered consumers lower subscription fees.

Meanwhile, Chou taught civics in a local adult school. Students described her as both amiable and humorous.

Ties between Chou and her mentor Liao turned sour in 1997 when she threw her support behind DPP flag-bearer Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) in the election for Taipei County commissioner. Liao, who earlier broke ranks with the party, campaigned for the post as an independent.

In retaliation, Liao helped his wife unseat Chou in the race for Hsichih township chief the following year.